#mal oretsev x reader

[mixed-imagination]

A Grisha's Affair - Nikolai x Grisha!Reader x Kirigan (part 1)

PAIRING: Nikolai Lantsov x Fem!Grisha!reader x General Kirigan ♡

NOTE: This is the first part of a short two parter.

*** Requested by @seronsalk

*** Beautiful golden divider created by @saradika ♡♡♡

As you neared the rear entrance of the Little Palace, your heart raced within your chest, drumming a quick and frantic beat. You had pushed yourself to the limit, sprinting down the forest path until your lungs burned and your breath came in ragged gasps. You cursed yourself and wondered why you had driven yourself to that point anyway.

A sudden memory flooded your mind, creating a rush of emotions.

You pounded on Nikolai's door. You weren't sure why you were so eager to see him, but you chalked it up to wanting only to say goodbye.

The door swung open to reveal Nikolai standing in his untied robe. His face seemed surprised to see you, but with one look at you, he greeted you with a big smile "Y/N, isn’t it past your curfew, little miss Durast?

You mirrored his smile but furrowed your brows, "I'm no longer a child, Nikolai."

"No, you certainly are not." His gaze descended your figure which made your cheeks hot. You were suddenly aware of how exposed and vulnerable you were. There you stood, before this handsome prince, in a thin, lace night dress and silk robe.

You wrapped your robe tighter around your frame, praying Nikolai did not catch a glimpse of the cold night air exposing your natural body, "Let me in."

"Won't you get in trouble with your Darkling?”

"I haven't seen him in weeks," you pushed past him and headed straight to the opposite side of his room. You settled in front of his desk, leaning your hands back against the chair.

Nikolai shut the door and his smile widened. He waited for you to continue speaking but it didn't come, so he responded, "Am I his replacement then?"

“General Kirigan?”

“The one and only Darkling.”

"What, no, of course not. First off, he’s my superior, and you’re no way near—" You huffed, "Stop. I'm not here to be questioned by you."

Nikolai laughed, "Right. Go on then."

The halls were dimly lit, and you realized you had never ventured through the palace this late before. You prayed that no one had noticed you sneaking back in after your late-night rendezvous. You didn't want to risk General Kirigan finding out about your secret meetings.

The unfamiliarity of your surroundings and the thought of what might be waiting for you made you quicken your pace as fast as you could without running. As you rounded the next corner, your hand instinctively went to your chest, trying to calm the erratic beating of your heart.

You crossed your arms, "So tomorrow you leave again."

"As soon as the sun rises, I'm off," Nikolai did not come closer to you. Instead, he copied your position and leaned his back against the door frame.

You found your gaze inevitably drawn to the way his torso muscles rippled underneath his robe with each subtle movement, causing you to bite your lip in frustration at the unyielding distance between you.

"And where are you going to this time?"

"Novyi Zem." Your chest ached, knowing well how long the journey would be. "There's a talented Fabrikator there that's willing to create a strong steel for my newest creation."

Your jaw dropped slightly. You were slightly offended but your playful tone remained, "What? Fabrikator? Have you forgotten I'm a durast? You could've asked me to—"

Nikolai finally stepped forward and raised his hands, "Y/N no, you're one of my closest friends, I couldn't—"

Friend.

A memory of his mouth on yours suddenly flashed in your mind.

Friends don't kiss.

You ignored it.

Breathless and with a light sheen of sweat on your forehead, you finally reached the entrance to your wing of the palace. You could see the guards standing, their eyes watching your every move.

You tried to act casual, as if you had simply been out for a stroll in the gardens, but your heart was racing with fear. What if they could somehow sense your guilt and apprehend you on the spot?

You approached them with a smile and a greeting, hoping to deflect their attention. They nodded politely, but you could tell they were eyeing you suspiciously.

As you made your way down your long corridor, you felt relieved to see the door to your bedroom. You couldn't believe you had gotten away with it.

You giggled to yourself, remembering once again.

"Saints, Nikolai, that's exactly why you should've asked me!" your head tilted and you tutted, "I bet I could do your fabrikator better."

"Better than 80,000 tensile strength?"

"100,000 tensile strength and more!"

He threw his head back, "Oh no, you're joking. Really?"

Your face broke into a big grin. "Yes, yes, yes, you bet your royal arse I can,” you laughed.

Like always, you fell into an ongoing easy conversation with Nikolai. Talking with him was breath of fresh air as you had a natural understanding of each other. Your conversations always felt like a plunge into an infinite pool that contained both his thoughts and yours.

As you listened to him speak about his latest invention, you couldn't help but get lost in not only his words but also in his boyishly handsome features. His dark blonde hair was perfectly messy and his blue eyes sparkled with mischief. You stared at the way his lips moved and how the sharpness of his jawline accentuated with every sentence.

You tried to focus, but your mind kept wandering to other things, like how it would feel to run your hands through his hair and kiss him again. A heat suddenly began to rise in your cheeks, your attraction to him growing more obvious.

Nikolai stood only a few feet away from you now. He started to notice how your eyes seemed to linger on him a little longer than usual. "Are you alright, Y/N?"

You blinked and nodded, "Oh yes, I am."

"Good," he beamed and stepped closer. "So tell me. Why have you come? I've never seen you out this late."

You shrugged, avoiding his eyes, "What? I can't come and spend quality time with my closest friend?"

"Not at this hour, little miss goodie two shoes," he smirked.

You turned with your back facing him now and looked down at his desk, feigning interest in the papers placed on it. "Maybe I wanted to say goodbye. As a friend should."

He scoffed, "Don't say you're actually going to miss me when I'm gone."

"A good, best, closest friend would."

Nikolai was right behind you now. The third time you exaggerated the word, a knowing shit-eating grin grew across his face. "You sound like you have an issue with being my friend."

You finally entered your room and firmly pressed both palms against the door, shutting it behind you. Leaning your forehead against the cool wood, you lingered in that stance, still lost in your reverie.

"I am but your friend Nikolai, I have no issue."

Unexpectedly, the weight of his hand resting on your shoulder sent a shiver down your spine, your silk robe providing little barrier between his warm palm and your skin. It felt as though his touch had set your nerves alight, leaving you with goosebumps despite the delicate fabric that separated you.

His thumb began tracing circles on your shoulder, and you couldn't help but lean into his touch. You felt his fingers slowly making their way down your arm, gently squeezing your skin. He was leaving a trail of fire along your shoulder as they traveled back up to your neck, only to slowly descend down again. With a deft movement, he pulled your silk robe down your shoulder. The unexpected touch sent a jolt of desire through your body.

"You stubborn thing. You don't want to be my friend, Y/N?"

He then swept your hair away, revealing a tantalizing sliver of skin to his gaze. As he leaned down, you felt his warm breath tickling your ear. "Nikolai," you whispered breathlessly.

"Why are you really here, love?" his voice was low and seductive.

You suddenly felt wet, tender kisses trail down your neck, causing your core to ignite. The sound of your mingled breaths and the soft smack of his lips sucking against your skin filled the air. Each touch of his lips made you feel like you were melting, completely powerless to resist him.

His strong hands wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer into him. You could feel his lower abdomen pressing hard against your backside, making you feel weak in the knees. Without warning, he spun you around to face him, his intense gaze locking onto yours. He leaned in for a kiss with his arms still wrapped tightly around you, as if never wanting to let go.

In that moment, all your doubts and fears faded away. It was just you and him, lost in each other.

You replayed the memory over and over again in your mind. The softness of his lips, the way his hands cupped your face, and the way you felt as though time stood still in that moment. You sighed, sinking further into the memory when a voice interrupted your thoughts.

"Penny for your thoughts, Y/N?"

Your heart skipped a beat, startled out of your reverie. As you turned around, your eyes landed on a tall, dark figure.

"Aleksander!"

The corners of his mouth curved upward, "You seemed to be lost in thought, milaya."

♡ part two coming soon....

soooo my brain was formulating the idea for this concept, and originally it was just supposed to be a one part one shot, but idk i just went off LOL. like holy, i went down a rabbit hole and came back up with enough plot for a series.

should i write a series? let me know what you think!!!

if i do, im imagining there'll be some mutual pining, angst, fluff, and spiiiice - wink wink wink -

if you enjoyed, please support me and my writing by giving me a like, reblog, or follow! thanks ♡♡♡

♡ gage

#nikolai lanstov x reader #general kirigan x reader #aleksander morozova x reader #nikolai x reader x kirigan #shadow and bone season 2 #alina starkov x reader #mal oretsev x reader #kaz brekker x reader #nikolai lantsov #general kirigan #mixed-imagination #sankta alina #tolya yul bataar #tolya x reader #tamar yul bataar #inej x reader #nina zenik #aleksander kirigan #shadow and bone

[websterss]

𝐊𝐀𝐙 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐊𝐊𝐄𝐑

𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒: ‣

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐒:​

‣

𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒𝐄𝐕

𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒: ‣

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐒:​

‣

𝐍𝐈𝐊𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐈 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒𝐎𝐕

𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒: ‣ Falling @myhairpintrigger​​​ ​‣ Misinformed @thebadgerclan​​​ ‣ My Heart, Truly Yours @wheres-mylove​​​ ​​‣ Sobachka @ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes​​​ ​‣ Stil Be Here In The Morning? ℠ @d0wnb4df0rf1cm3n ​‣ The Hope of Love @mixed-imagination​​​ ​‣ Yours No More @theowritesstuff​​​

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐒:​

@corpsebasil​ ‣ Thought I’d Lost You ✻​ ‣ Quiet | Part 2 ℠

@fleurspun​ ‣ The Art of Pretension ‣ Sick & Stubborn

@lantsovsupremacist‣ Currents ‣ You Are In Love  

@undiscovered-horizon​ ‣ In Emerald Hearts, Emerald Minds ‣ “Little Sun” ‣ “Man of Faith”

‣ 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎: 𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐒

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lantsov x fem!reader #nikolai lantsov imagines #nikolai lantsov smut #nikolai lantsov imagine #mal oretsev #mal oretsev imagine #mal orestev smut #mal oretsev imagines #mal oretsev x reader #mal oretsev x fem!reader #kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x fem!reader #kaz brekker imagines #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker smut

[swanimagines]

NOT A FAILURE | CROWS, MAL, ALINA

Summary: Imagine helping Mal and the Crows free Alina.

“This is a bad idea,” you mumbled, mainly to yourself as you held your gun close to your chest, sitting down on the floor in the corner Mal sat on the crate above you, letting out a breath.

“Well… we promised to rescue Alina, and that we’ll do,” Mal replied, closing his eyes for a minute, listening to the Darkling ramble something on the deck. His words were muffled and unintelligible, you couldn’t make sense of them. Mal took in a deep breath. “I wish I could punch his teeth into his throat, one by one.”

You and Mal had narrowly snuck into the skiff where Alina was held - vowing to release her even if it took your own life. Immediately after getting on, you had made your way to the ship’s hold, hoping to hide there until time came.

But of course luck wasn’t on your side, and soon you heard how someone was entering the hold. You and Mal exchanged a panicked look, before you dove to hide between the crates - Mal went to the other side while you stayed on your own side.

“Kirigan has the Sun Summoner chained on the deck,” someone said, and you and Mal glanced at each other across the hold.

“Saints, I have a bad feeling about this…” another male voice groaned, and suddenly you caught movement from where Mal had just been hiding. You didn’t even have time to react before Mal was already gone, making you panic.

“We’ll might have to threaten her life,” the first guy said and then you heard a collective “what?!”

“Who’s this?” the same voice from earlier said.

“Stowaway,” a woman murmured, making you peek from around one of the crates, your eyes widening at the sight of Mal, held by a Suli girl. “He was hiding over there. Why this particular skiff?” 

They were all glaring at Mal, and that’s when you jumped up, pointing a gun at the Suli girl. Your hands shook, you felt how you were sweating, but you still managed to give an order.

“L-let him go, or… or I’ll shoot e-everyone,” you stuttered, flinching when a Zemeni man pulled out two revolvers, pointing them at you.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, sweetheart,” he replied, and you pointed your gun at him, now your hands were shaking even more. It was painfully obvious how you had never shot to kill anyone.

“Don’t,” Mal mumbled, shaking his head at you. You looked between him and the three others, before slowly lowering your gun.

You swallowed, putting your gun back into its holster, the Zemeni man doing the same. Your eyes flickered between the two men. “If you’re here to hurt Alina-”

“We aren’t,” the Suli woman replied, glaring at the man with a cane, and he looked back at her, sighing.

“Of course we wouldn’t hurt her, she’s too valuable,” he replied, tightening the grip on his cane. “But threatening to hurt her could make Kirigan do as we say.”

You and Mal snorted, and you rolled your eyes. “You haven’t seen him in action, have you? He’d cut you in half with his shadow blade powers the moment you say anything about hurting her, and you won’t have much space to run on this skiff if you haven’t noticed.”

The two men stared at you and Mal for a moment, before the guy with a cane nodded at the Suli girl. “Give him his gun.”

“Why?”

“Because if he’s not with Kirigan, he’s with us.”

The Suli girl gave Mal his gun back, and you moved to stand beside him. “We should attack as soon as possible.”

“No, we wait,” the man with a cane countered.

Mal scoffed. “For what? The bold move is to attack now.”

“And the smart one is to wait.”

Mal shrugged. “Well, I don’t feel like being smart right now.”

Then he turned, going for the stairs and you took a look at your three allies before going after him. You were soon followed by the Suli girl, who climbed to the top deck so fast and so silently that you barely caught a sight of her. Mal began to shoot at Kirigan the moment you got through the people obscuring the view, but was on the ground a moment after, leaving you alone and you hid behind the wall. The Zemeni man and the other guy emerged from the hatchet then, and Darkling tried to cut them in half as soon as the Zemeni started to shoot him, and then the Zemeni was knocked out and everything became dark.

You held your gun close to your chest again, trying to coax yourself, sneak out and try to fight. You knew Alina was in trouble and without anyone to help her, all would be lost. You sat there, hearing occasional shuffles and volcras screaming above you, trying to win your fear. You shuddered.

You are a failure, Yakov’s voice laughed in your head. Good for nothing else than cowering in fear when others fight.

That man was built like a bull, with a long beard and shaved head, and he had belittled you from the start, used his power as a spare commander, made others laugh at you - everyone wondering why you were in an army when you didn’t even have guts to shoot anyone. And it was true, it wasn’t your place. You were good in deflecting hits and dodging, but fighting, with you being the aggressor - it had never been your thing. But if you hadn’t signed up, you would have been separated from Alina and Mal, your best and only friends. For them, you would have done anything. At least you thought so.

You are not a failure, something inside you said, and you stood up. Show them.

Then, you walked out from the darkness and shot one of the heartrenders, the bullet going in from between his eyes, splattering blood on the Darkling. You smirked, and sprinted up the stairs, your heart pounding, your adrenaline running. You joined the Suli girl fighting a volcra, and you felt like something within you had awakened.

Then, suddenly, a burst of light emerged, all the volcras near you turning to dust, and you immediately looked down to see Alina standing there. Then suddenly Mal had tackled The Darkling off the ship and you hurried down, but were stopped halfway down by the Suli girl as one of the Heartrenders started to slow down Alina’s heart. You aimed your gun at the heartrender again, and pressed the trigger.

Click. Click. 

The bullets were out.

“Damn it!” you cursed, watching helplessly as Alina struggled, trying to look for a way to stop it. And then the saving grace blessed the ship, the Zemeni man had woken up and fought with the Heartrender, ultimately pushing him off the ship.

You ran to an unconscious Alina, trying to shake her awake as volcras flew closer and closer to you, and Mal soon joined you. Alina mumbled your names after a moment and you let out a breath, tipping backwards on your butt. “Saints.”

Then, it was light again, and on next moment you were out of the Fold.

“The Darkling?” you asked Mal, and he looked back to the Fold.

“Gone. Volcras got him,” he replied, stroking Alina’s hair while you gripped her hand.

“The world’s better without him,” Alina mumbled weakly, sitting up with your and Mal’s help. 

You turned your eyes at the two men and the Suli girl, nodding in gratitude. “We couldn’t have done it without you,” you told them. “We don’t even know each other, and you were willing to help. I just can’t figure out why.”

Alina blinked, looking at them and chuckled a little. “They tried to kidnap me some days ago.”

Mal frowned, looking between Alina and the three strangers. “What?”

“No, we are not kidnapping you, not anymore,” the Suli girl reassured, looking at her friends.

“Well, it would be rude to save you and then kidnap you, and… you being a Saint and all…” the Zemeni man agreed, and the other man with a cane clenched his jaw. “Oh, we haven’t introduced ourselves, this grumpy man here is Kaz, yours truly is Jesper, and this lovely lady is Inej.”

You just stared at them, not really knowing what to make of that bunch. But you agreed to walk with them so you would be able to put on a campfire, just to warm up. And there, Alina made a deal with Kaz, he got a jewel necklace and in return, he wouldn’t tell where do you three go from there.

But you had a feeling that someway, somehow, you’d meet them again soon…

---

Requests are always open! FANDOM LIST | PROMPT LIST(S) | RULES (READ!!!)

#shadow and bone x reader #mal oretsev x reader #alina starkov x reader #kaz brekker x reader #jesper fahey x reader #inej ghafa x reader #mal oretsev #alina starkov #jesper fahey #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #sab #shadow and bone #reader insert #gn reader #my works

[stray-kaz]

Twice Wounded : a Mal Oretsev x f!reader oneshot

Summary: You think that what you and Mal have is purely physical and are ready to call it off, until he proves to you otherwise.

Warnings: A bit of 18+. Mostly fluffy angst. Injury and blood. Mal being heroic.

Index: lapushka: Ravkan/Russian for honey, darling, etc.

A/N: I LOVE this. This is one of my favourite things I’ve written.

Sweat slicked and panting, you half shoved Mal off you while you simultaneously rolled away from under him. You turned away as he draped himself over you, kissing a line of stars up the nape of your neck. You shivered and closed your eyes, leaning over to grab the shirt you had discarded earlier and pull it on over your head. His deep voice rumbled in your ear.

“Are you okay, lapushka?”

You curled your hands into fists against your stomach at the sound of that tender word rolling off his tongue, so effortlessly sweet after the hay roll he had just given you. You nodded, but your neck was stiff and he knew you, knew your body, well enough to know that you were lying to him.

You felt him ease back and turned slightly to see him, see that his face had become inscrutable, the shield erected so you couldn’t see the truth of him. But you had been doing that since the start, so why should it bother you?

“Did I hurt you?”

The question came quiet, dark and low, an anxious thread woven through it. And it was then you knew he wasn’t mad, he was afraid he had harmed you in the course of the lovemaking, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. You were just heartsick and tired of lying, to yourself and him.

You knelt on the mattress and held his face between your hands.

“No” you said softly. “You never hurt me, Malyen. I am safe with you.”

His shoulders relaxed and he lay back down, brown eyes focused on your face.

“Then what is it?” he asked, trying to hide a yawn. “Come back to me.”

Heartstrings tugging you back to him inexorably, as always, you slipped back into your trousers before leaning down over him, one hand on his shoulder for balance, and kissing him deeply, surprising him. He grunted and slid a hand up into your hair, twisting it around his fingers and anchoring his palm to the back of your skull. His mouth worked under yours until you felt the same needy ache as before stoke up between your legs, and you made yourself pull away, lips already swollen.

Mal looked up at you, eyes dark and wide, knowing and wanting.

“So” he murmured. “Same time next week, dove?”

You startled, your eyes flashing to his at the use of yet another endearment. Same time next week. Same time, same bed, same man with the boyish grin and chocolate eyes. Chocolate contraband. Same foolish heart beating in your chest.

“Yes, I’ll be here” you told him eventually, and looked away from the grin he offered, his arms now propped behind his head.

“And I’ll be waiting.”

You stood and found your socks and boots, choosing to leave his room before pulling them on, unable to stand for one more moment in his company.

Once fully dressed, you leaned back against the wall, ignoring the curious eyes of an inn servant hustling past you in the corridor. She knew you; in a seaside town this small, it was hard not to. It was also difficult to conceal your own private business from all others, and so most everyone knew about the tall, handsome privateer in the turquoise frock coat who visited with you once every week, without fail, and had done for the last year.

You sighed then pushed away from the wall, head down, your feet leading you to the nearest exit without you needing to look.

As soon as you walked in through your own front door, your mother’s front door, she glanced up toward you, hopeful expression on her face.

“This time?” she asked, gaze flicking down to your hands and the still flat pockets of your trousers.

“No, Ma” you muttered. “He doesn’t pay me.”

She scoffed and went back to her sewing.

“Well, he should” she retorted, ignoring your bruised expression and quiet eyes. “We all know who he is, daughter. The notorious Sturmhond. He has money enough, and more, to pay you for his visits.”

You walked away, thought of slamming your bedroom door, then thought better of it, closing it with a quiet click and collapsing facedown on your bed to dry the tears on your cheeks.

The moment Mal’s boots hit the deck of the flying ship, Tolya was waiting, arms folded across his chest. Mal just looked back at him and waited, knowing what was to come next.

“Have you told her yet?”

“No.”

“Why not, Captain?”

The title was dripping with sarcasm and a little disdain. Mal sighed and scrubbed a hand over his hair, spiking his palm.

“Because it isn’t the right time” he said.

Tolya scoffed.

“You do know how weak that sounds, right? We have been flying here, from wherever we were first, every seven days for fifty two weeks. Your woman has even had a birthday in that time, for which you bought her a very expensive pearl bracelet. Not stole, bought. Not to mention the books you bring her every visit.”

“I didn’t bring her any books this time” Mal mumbled begrudgingly. “And she’s not my woman.”

Tolya shook his head, clicking his tongue in disagreement.

“Whatever you say, Malyen. But I do not believe you.”

“I’ll take that into consideration” Mal muttered as he shouldered past Tolya and made his way belowdecks to his study.

He looked around him at the wall mounted bookshelves, books pressed cover to cover all around the room. All for you.

Mal sank down in the chair behind his desk and groaned, pressing his face into his hands. He hadn’t thought he would ever be able to fall in love after Alina. But that was fate, destiny. This, with you, was a shout across the void, an answering call, and the choice to jump.

Next time, he would wear his wounded heart on his turquoise sleeve and say the words aloud.

Next time.

Next time, Mal grew increasingly frustrated as every person in your town he asked for your whereabouts gave him the same pat answer: you were unwell, and so not to be disturbed, not even to deliver a message. He walked the streets, searching for your familiar face and ignoring the hopeful looks of a few other young women eager for his attention.

You saw him as he strode past your house, on the other side of a narrow curtained window, coat flicking at his ankles like the tail of an angry cat, head on a constant swivel as he looked for you.

You pulled your gaze from him and instead looked down at the pearl bracelet clutched in your hand. It gleamed pearlescent and gold against your skin. It would have cost him no small amount. Maybe it was some sort of payment for your...service? Was that what you did? Did you service the sky pirate Sturmhond, Sankta Alina’s lost love?

You dropped the bracelet on the windowsill and turned away, reaching up to dash furious tears from your cheeks.

You wanted to grab him by his strong shoulders and shake him until he saw you, truly. Until he knew that all those afternoons and mornings under, on top of, beside him, were more than sweat, bliss and time wasted for you.

You wanted to go hoarse from telling him he was loved by you.

You wanted him to say it back.

You wanted him to mean it.

But you had lied to him, persuaded your town to lie to him, and he wouldn’t be back again. You were sure of it.

In spite of all his instincts screaming at him not to bother, Mal returned to your town another week later, but this time, he came as himself, bright coat conspicuously absent and replaced by his old grey greatcoat, warm and familiar to him. Collar turned up to shield his neck from the worst of the chill wind, he again marched through the streets, wary of the eyes that watched him.

“Where are you, lapushka?” he muttered to himself.

In all his hours in this place, he had never been to the beach. The flying ship could wet or dry dock, and he always dry docked it when he visited you.

Mal turned on his heel and moved quickly in the direction of the sea breeze, salt tasted on the air. Maybe his tracker instinct was gone, but he knew you and something told him he was right.

And the second the thick soles of his boots sank into the gritty sand dune, he saw you. The wind tore at your hair, whipping it across your face, but you were determined to read, your shoulders hunched to protect the pages of the book, making him smile. There were a few young Grisha a ways down the beach, practicing. Inferni, from the looks of the fire lashing to and fro between them.

He called your name, but the wind ran away with it, so he trudged over the shifting sands to reach you. Halfway to you, a flicker caught his eye, a flicker that turned into a flame. Mal dodged, his experience with Grisha leading the movement, and it swished past him. Past him to you.

He felt his stomach twist, hard and painful, and he started to run, stumbling on the sand, the fire spreading over your shoulder reflected in his dark eyes, your screams of fear and pain stinging his ears. He finally reached you, almost sick from the sight of the fire eaten meat of your shoulder, Grisha fire burning hotter than ordinary fire.

“No!” he gasped.

No, dove, no.

Mal lifted you bodily off the sand and waded into the sea with you, fell to his knees in the waves so that the cold water would wash over your shoulder, cleansing your burnt flesh. You were limp against him, dead weight, your pulse thready where he pressed two fingers to it. Your eyelids fluttered and you moaned in pain as sea salt entered the wound, abrasive and unkind.

“Malyen?” you murmured, barely moving your lips.

Your fingers curled in the front of his coat, head rolling to his shoulder.

“It’s me, dove. I’ve got you. You’re gonna be fine. I’ve got you.”

“Why do you call me dove?” you asked, voice a whisper so quiet he had to bend his head to hear.

A flicker of a smile touched his lips.

“Because you fly to me every time, lapushka. My little dove.”

You closed your eyes with a sigh and he grasped your jaw in one big hand, squeezing and shaking gently.

“No, no, no, no, no” he pleaded. “Not you, too.”

He looked wildly over his shoulder in the direction of the Grisha, now watching with hands to their mouths and eyes wide.

“Healer!” Mal roared. “Is there a healer here?”

One of the girls nodded and took off, and he lurched to his feet in the water with you in his arms, and followed.

You woke hours later, time gone missing, in a familiar bed that wasn’t yours and bundled inside a huge greatcoat that definitely wasn’t yours. The room was dim, only a little light allowed in through a crack in the curtains, but you could see a bulky shadow slumped in a chair near the door. You swallowed, your mouth dry as dust.

“Mal?” you croaked, testing your voice.

He jerked awake and was beside you in seconds, warm, strong hands running over your body, from your head to your knees. You closed your eyes. It had only been two weeks, but you’d missed him.

“Are you okay? How do you feel?” he gasped out, his touch lingering on your waist underneath his coat. “A healer came, but there’s a scar. I’m so sorry, dove.”

You were not deaf to the pain in his voice. You sat up and reached out, your hands coming into contact with warm, bare skin, and when you looked down at yourself, you saw that you were also wearing his shirt, buttoned haphazardly up your torso. But instead of shying away from him, you explored further, trailing your fingers over his chest, and he pressed himself into your hands. You splayed your hand over the thick scar that branded his heart, reminiscent of his death.

"I've missed you" you admitted, glancing up into his eyes through the shadows.

His dark eyebrows came together and he frowned.

"Then where were you? And don't tell me you were unwell, because I know that's bull. I waited for you. I searched for you."

You sighed.

"I know. I saw you."

His eyes widened and he turned his head away, wounded.

"Malyen Oretsev" you said softly.

He turned back, but he looked at you with fresh pain. You took a deep breath before beginning.

"I thought you only wanted the physical side of a relationship" you explained, speaking slow and clear. "And I couldn't do that anymore, so I lied to you and asked everyone else to as well."

There was a sweet furrow in his forehead that you wanted to smooth away with your lips.

"What does that mean?" Mal asked, his hands in his lap.

"It means I love you, but I want all of you, not just a few hours snatched once a week."

He stared at you, blinking slowly.

"Do you honestly think I've been dragging this big rig home to you once a week for a whole year just for sex?" he demanded, a slow smile kindling in his eyes and at the corners of his beautiful mouth.

You blinked, shocked by his choice of words.

"Home?" you repeated, quiet.

Mal nodded.

"Yes, you beautiful idiot. Home."

"I'm your home?" you asked, beginning to tremble.

In answer, he surged forward to kiss you, the rasp of his day old stubble on your skin and his rope roughened hands cupping your face. And then he was all you knew and the residual ache in your shoulder faded as he pressed you down into the mattress and sailed you home.

I am PROUD of this. Please comment/reblog.

#mal oretsev #mal oretsev x reader #mal oretsev x female reader #shadow and bone #liss writes

[midnight-rain-fics]

Lover

{Fandom: Grishaverse}

{Pairing: Mal Oretsev x reader}

Summary: Mornings are usually your favorite time of the day, especially if they are spent in bed with Mal. Just a short Drabble. There’s no plot, only vibes and fluff.

“I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover

My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue

All's well that ends well to end up with you”

Waking up next to the man you loved was quite possibly the best feeling in the world.

Mal's warm body curved around yours and his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer to his chest. A soft sigh escaped his lips, head nuzzling closer to your neck.

You had met him under the unlikeliest of circumstances. You were both fighting in a war you didn't particularly care about, for the people you loved.

You and Mal were twin souls; soldiers always marching on, always a weapon to be used. Until now.

Until you had both decided to lay down your weapons and live a life together on the sea.

Both of you had reasons to fight in the war. For you, it had been Nikolai. Your best friend and the man who had given you a place among his crew, back when he had been a privateer.

You had first met Mal aboard the Volkvolony. You remember feeling disdain at the way he and Alina had first acted. Arrogant fools. Thinking they could command an entire crew just because Alina was the sun summoner.

It had left you feeling uneasy.

You turned your head to look at the man you had once called a 'blithering fool' to his face, leaving him sputtering in offence. It had been quite an adorable sight, but you would never admit that to anyone.

But now, you couldn't help but feel warmth blossom in your chest as you caressed his face, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly to reveal sea-blue eyes blinking sleepily at you.

"Good morning, sunshine" You chuckled, stroking the side of his face, hand cupping his jaw. Mal was handsome, but his beauty wasn't obvious like the rays of the sun, it was more subtle, like the pattering of rainfall and the calmness it left behind.

You could admire him for days and it would still not be enough.

A breathless laugh escaped Mal's lips as he leaned forward on his elbows to look at you, pressing a chaste kiss to the palm that was still stroking his cheek, "what's got you in such a good mood, doll?"

"Can't I just be happy waking up next to you?"

Mal raised an amused eyebrow, his bare chest on display as the thin sheet covering you both slipped down a little, "Not really, you usually complain about how cold my feet are and then make up for being mean by kissing my tattoo"

"It's a beautiful tattoo," you sighed in exaggeration and placed your hand on his back, your chest nearly touching his as you ran your fingers down his spine, "even if it doesn't make much sense"

"It makes sense in Old Ravkan"

"It really doesn't"

"You just like picking fights, don't you?" Mal shook his head fondly, wrapping an arm around your waist.

"You know it" You whispered and leaned forward to nudge your nose against his, earning a sweet chuckle in return.

A wicked smirk overtook Mal's face, his arms encasing you to his chest, the bedsheet long forgotten at your feet, as he shifted his weight and loomed over you, "Maybe I should teach you some manners, doll"

He leaned down and nipped at your neck, earning a squeak from you.

Your cheeks were positively flushed as you grinned at him, eyes sparking up mischievously, "I've been told I can be quite insolent, I don't think your lessons would work, Mal"

Mal hummed, a sound that rumbled low in his chest, "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

It was safe to say you both spent the last rays of the morning sun bathing in each other’s company until Tolya knocked on the door to the Kapitan’s quarters, urging you both to join the crew for lunch.

#mal oretsev x reader #mal oretsev #mal oretsev x you #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone x you #mal oretsev imagine

[unrequitedloveletter]

All right! It is that time of year again and, as some who typically thrives in the fall and winter months, it is absolutely, a thousand percent, time for me to become even more insufferable than I was in September when the fall event released!! yay!!

As with last year and because I love myself a good seasonal/holiday queue, I am also doing the five days of christmas queue again! I'm not doing it how I did it last year in that it was both requests and my own work--that is partly because I dont want to make a separate event post for it--this year and probably going forward, it'll just be fics themed around Christmas that come from me and aren't requests.

Fandoms to whom this event are open are as follows: six of crows, shadow and bone, peaky blinders (tommy and alfie only) shatter me (aaron and kenji only) and free rein (pin only because I miss writing for him anyway)

Requests will be open until the 30th of december. Any request I get after NYE or New Years Day will be deleted.

the event is below the cut as this has clogged up peoples dashes enough already lol

NOW PLAYING: peace by taylor swift

the devils in the details but you've got a friend in me - age old friendships between people who can go months without talking to one another and pick up right where they left off--think platonic strong bonds and relationships that have lasted too many years to count. Give me a character, a gender pref for the reader, and a holiday activity that you want me to write strong-bonded characters (be it friends who've been friends for a decade or a couple who has been in a relationship just as long) doing and I'll write 1-5k words for it. Think good vibes, snowy weather, and hot chocolate + christmas decorating--I will write just about any holiday activity for this prompt and I promise I'll have a blast

you and me forevermore - anniversaries! One year, five years, ten years, you name it! I personally think that winter is the superior season to start a relationship in so I will write anniversary celebrations set in the winter months and all you need to do is give me a character, a gender pref for the reader, and any other specifics you'd like to add!

SHUFFLING CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST

NOW PLAYING: have yourself a merry little christmas as covered by phoebe bridgers

have yourself a merry little christmas - PROMPTS!! I wrote out holiday prompts for the season and this is my excuse to use them. Send in any combination of prompts you want--you can send me a prompt from this list with a prompt from any of the other ones, just tell me what list you're using and I'll write it!

if we make it through december we'll be fine - long fics! Give me as many details as you want--in this instance I would very much prefer specificity over vagueness so do not spare a single one--a gender pref for the reader, and I'll write what you give me! Anything goes for this. Prompts, scenarios, anything! Any genre, though when I think of this I think angst because it is very easy to write longer angst fics for me. These fics will be anywhere from 4-8k words in length and all of their necessary details are completely up to you.

#six of crows #shadow and bone #peaky blinders #free rein #shatter me #kaz brekker x reader #inej ghafa x reader #wylan van eck x reader #jesper fahey x reader #nina zenik x reader #matthias helvar x reader #alina starkov x reader #mal oretsev x reader #nikolai lantsov x reader #zoya nazyalensky x reader #genya safin x reader #tommy shelby x reader #alfie solomons x reader #pin hawthorne x reader #aaron warner x reader #kenji kishimoto x reader

[bi-bard]

Your Past and Mine are Parallel Lines; Stars All Aligned and They Intertwined - Mal Oretsev Imagine [Shadow & Bone]

Title: Your Past and Mine are Parallel Lines; Stars All Aligned and They Intertwined

Pairing: Mal Oretsev X Reader

Word Count: 2,271 words

Warning(s): mention of stealing, slight self-worth issues

Summary: [Inspired by "All of the Girls You Loved Before" by Taylor Swift] [Post-Season 2 Finale] Mal takes on the title of Sturmhond and soon meets a thief for hire, (Y/n). He recruits them at the direction of Tamar and Tolya, not realizing how much his life was going to change after that.

Author's Note: I think the show version of Mal is over hated. That's my hot take of the day.

Also, I've been looking for an excuse to use this song because who am I if I don't write a story for every Taylor Swift song that I can get my hands on.

--------------------

I couldn't help that sometimes I would go a while without a job.

I couldn't help that the idea of being tied to a single crew made me just a little sick to my stomach.

I had to get by somehow. I could usually get hired quickly and get some decent pay, but sometimes when the chips are down, you need a little extra to get you by.

It always felt silly going back to stealing out of coat pockets or off of wrists. It made me feel like a kid again. But I guess it made for good practice.

I wasn't one to get caught. Mainly because I didn't get too excited. I was careful. I knew what I could get away with grabbing and what I couldn't. I knew when certain crowds were more observant than others.

When I found a very crowded bar, I knew that I could get away with far more than I could on a street somewhere.

I scanned the room as subtly as I could.

My eyes immediately latched onto the gold compass hanging on a man's neck. It was hanging low enough that my hand wouldn't look too obvious when I reached up. There was so much on the man's neck that I doubted he would notice it leaving his neck.

I was quiet, careful. I moved as normally as I could until I got close enough to the man. I offered a small smile, acting like I just needed to get around him as I snagged the compass from around his neck.

I was certain that he hadn't noticed.

I was almost to the door when I heard a voice behind me, clearer than the voices of the other patrons, "Hey! Give that back!"

I shoved the last person between me and the door out of my way as I took off running.

I took off down the main road until I could find an alleyway.

As I continued through the twists and turns, trying to put as much distance between me and the man as possible, I found myself almost laughing. That rare for me. I usually just got my work done and got away as soon as possible. I never took the time to enjoy it. But this... this was different.

I yelled as my arm was snagged.

I was turned around and shoved back against the wall of the alley. I was left face-to-face with the man that I had been running from. He was holding both of my wrists against the wall. His grip was tight enough that I was certain that there was going to be a bruise left behind.

"Let me go!" I snapped.

"Give me back my compass," he replied.

I just pulled at my arms again, trying to get free. I tried to kick at him, but none of my hits were landing.

A new voice spoke up, "(Y/n)?"

I looked over at the new voice. "Tolya?"

"You know them?" the man holding my wrists turned to look at Tolya.

Tolya nodded. "We worked with them ages ago."

"(Y/n) (Y/l/n)," Tamar explained, walking around the man to stand on his other side. I looked at her, a small grin on my face. "Quick, clever, fiercely independent, and always aware of every single escape route. Thief for hire."

"Hey!" I snapped.

"What?" she asked.

"Don't call me that!"

"What are you then," the man asked.

"More of a tracker. I'm just better at tracking more... notable things than just animals. I'm more than just a thief."

The man looked at the compass in my hand, raising his eyebrow a bit.

"Don't get all high and mighty about this," I said. "You don't truly think that I wouldn't recognize Sturmhond's compass, do you? If anything, I'm in the first steps to returning his property."

"That's a fun story, actually," Tolya replied.

"Why?"

"Because he's Sturmhond," he pointed at the man.

I scoffed. "Nice try. Sturmhond's blonde... and a little less of a prick."

The man glared at me.

"You're holding me against a wall, I can call you a prick."

"He had the title passed to him," Tamar explained. "Meaning that compass is his now."

"Well then, I'll return it once my arms are released."

"Sturmhond" relented, letting my arms go. I saw Tamar shift, ensuring that I couldn't run for it. I offered a fake smile before placing the compass in the man's palm.

"So, if Sturmhond's a title, do I get to know your true name?"

"Mal."

"That was easier to get out of you than I expected," I muttered. "These two introduced me already. And I'd say that it's nice to meet you, but that would be dishonest."

"Still jumping from job to job," Tolya asked.

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

"We're doing good work," Tamar said. "You should join us. Get out of here."

"Why would I do that?"

"Get away from the city with your face plastered on wanted posters."

I looked at Mal.

"Wouldn't you rather take your hood off for a while and not fear being arrested?"

I took a deep breath. "Getting out of the city doesn't mean that no one is going to hunt for me."

"I have a personal connection to the king. I could get him to ensure your safety."

I paused, looking between the trio.

"One trip," Mal pushed. "After that, we can drop you wherever you'd like to go or you can continue traveling with us. Your decision."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Fine. One trip. That's it."

"Yes!" Tolya pushed his way past Mal to hug me. "I've been waiting for you to join us."

"I'm certain you have," I muttered. He finally stepped back. "So, when do I get to see the ship?"

That one trip turned into two. Two into three. And on and on and on.

Mal and I patched things up rather quickly after our... unfortunate first meeting. We went from a shaky partnership to a far more genuine friendship.

We were often paired up together when working. According to Tamar, our skills paired up well together. According to Tolya's smile when he saw the both of us, I knew there was something else on both of their minds. Tolya had read too much poetry to simply let things lie where they were.

They did have a point.

Mal and I worked well together when he wasn't the one that I was stealing from. I had grown very used to being around him. It was great.

I was convinced that it was simply a good friendship. Two people looking past a bad first impression and finding similarities where they didn't expect to.

Until one night.

We were in the middle of a mission. I was tasked with sneaking a key off of a man. He wore it around his neck, easy within reach so he could brag about his high-paying work to any poor bastard who would listen.

His voice was grating. And it only got worse the more that he drank.

I had to wait for him to get shitfaced before I could make any move.

He was focused on yelling at different people around the bar. He was trying to show that he was the big man there. He was in charge.

He drunkenly called for a toast for little to no reason.

While everyone was chugging their drink from the toast, I passed by, snagging the key off of his throat. The alcohol had made it so he wasn't very observant. Good for me. I got out before he said anything.

No, it wasn't until I was a little way down the street that I heard a drunk yell of angry, slurred words.

I ran to the alleyway where Mal had been waiting for me so we could both get back to the ship. He let out a relieved huff when he finally spotted me.

"That took you ages-"

I pressed a hand over his mouth before silently motioning for him to stay quiet. He nodded. I pulled my hand back and fixed my eyes on the small part of the street that I could see from where I was.

The drunk man stumbled past the alley that we were hiding in. A few men were behind him.

"This feels very familiar," Mal mumbled after it seemed like the coast was clear.

"Last time we were in a place like this, you slammed me against a wall," I replied. "Planning a repeat incident, Mal?"

I turned to look at him. The breath was nearly knocked out of me. His eyes were completely trained on me. Studying me. Looking for so much detail that it almost forced my heart to stop where it was.

"Mal," I muttered. I couldn't tell what I was trying to do. Get his attention, give him a warning, give him permission.

He leaned forward, kissing me briefly before very quickly pulling away. He tried to ramble about which way we needed to go, but I stopped him, leaning in and kissing him again. Properly this time.

That was the night that everything between us shifted.

Mal immediately seemed more accustomed to being open about his feelings than I was. He made little to no effort to hide how the kiss had affected him. I was hesitant. I didn't want to face the chance that this could all blow up in my face.

But he wore me down.

Probably on accident.

He would never push anything. He would smile at me during meetings, protect me more when we were out, and compliment me more. He spoke in ways that reminded me of the poets Tolya had told me about.

We kissed again. In his office. If that was the right name for it.

It was soft. Less rushed than the first one. He whispered how much he wanted to be with me. I found myself agreeing with little hesitation.

And it was like something very suddenly clicked. Being with him suddenly felt like the most natural thing in the world. Letting his hand touch mine was comforting instead of terrifying. Any future kisses felt like puzzle pieces clicking together instead of gut-churning.

It was all just... right.

We had always spent time together but this was so different. And it was worth any and all teasing we got for it. I was happy. I was finally truly happy.

I soon decided that the best times with Mal were during night watch.

On the nights that I was part of the night watch, Mal would often come up and spend time with me. We'd mumble quietly to each other as we watched the waters and the stars. It was nice. Probably the closest that our lives allowed for a date. Privateer work didn't really allow for romantic dinners or walks around town with our hands intertwined.

"Have I told you how much I've grown to really appreciate our nights out here," I asked one night.

"I think it's come up a few times now," he replied. "Why?"

I paused for a moment. "I just... I want you to know that I... I adore everything about this... about us. I don't think that I say it enough."

"I promise, you do," he said. "I really enjoy having this time with you too. These nights are my favorite. I feel like I get to see parts of you that you don't show other people. And I think they're amazing."

I looked down, feeling my face warm up. I heard a quiet chuckle come from Mal's lips.

"I'm sorry, am I seeing the great thief for hire be truly flustered for the first time," he moved so he was leaning in front of my face.

"Shut up," I grumbled, turning my head even further away. "I've just... I've never had someone talk about me like that... I've just always been an annoyance or a useful tool or something. To have someone talk about me like you just did... It's strange."

"A good strange?"

I turned back to him. He was now leaning against the railing of the ship, just looking at me. Not letting his attention drift for a second.

"Yeah," I replied. "A good strange."

He leaned over and kissed the side of my head.

I closed my eyes as he did, allowing myself to truly enjoy the moment while I had it.

"For what it's worth, this is all a very good strange to me too," Mal admitted as he pulled back.

"What do you mean?"

"It's... Well... The last time I was with someone like... this, I felt drawn to her," he explained. "Like I didn't have a choice in it. I was just meant to be... there. And then that feeling just disappeared. Suddenly, I didn't know what I was meant to do."

I took a deep breath, "And now?"

A grin pulled at his lips. "I feel like I had a choice in it... in this. I chose you... and it feels like one of the best things I've ever done."

I felt a grin of my own forming.

He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. His hand moved to cup the side of my face. My hand touched his and my lips followed his lead.

I leaned back first, smiling at him. "I... I love you, Mal."

"I love you too."

And it was like all of the steps to get to him fell away. Now, there was only him... this.

And I was perfectly happy to only see the love I had finally earned.

--------------------

Navigation Guide

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

#fanfiction #imagine #x reader #mal oretsev imagine #mal oretsev x reader #mal oretsev fanfiction #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone fanfiction

[lady-ashfade]

Guys I honestly have no clue what I should be doing with my page atm. Like, it’s just hard for me to decide what everyone would like better.

Like I know a LOT of people voted for the shadow and bone yandere series, and I do have it planned out in my head for a few parts. But do people still want that?

#yandere shadow and bone #yandere kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x reader #Inej ghafa x reade #yandere inej ghafa #yandere jesper fahey x reader #Jesper fahey x reader #wylan van eck x reader #yandere wylan van eck x reader #yandere nina zenik #Nina zenik x reader #yandere matthias helvar #yandere six of crows #alina starkov x reader #yandere Alina starvok x reader #mal oretsev #mal oretsev x reader #yandere mal oretsev x reader #Nikolai Lantsov x reader #yandere Nikolai Lantsov x reader #yandere shadow and bone x reader #yandere Inej ghafa x reader #the darkling x reader

[iamthemain-character]

Shadow & Bone Masterlist

Alina Starkov

Mal Oretsev

General Kirigan/The Darkling

Nikolai Lantsov

Genya Safin

Kaz Brekker

sit a while - they/them, fluff

Not Giving Up - they/them, angst to fluff, ⚠️ED content⚠️

Inej Ghafa

Jesper Fahey

Nina Zenik

Together Again - she/her, sister reader

crows shenanigans

Sankt Milo

#shadow and bone #netflix shadow and bone #six of crows #alina starvok #alina starkov x reader #mal oretsev #mal oretsev x reader #general kirigan #general kirigan x reader #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lanstov x reader #genya safin #genya safin x reader #kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #inej ghafa #inej ghafa x reader #jesper fahey #jesper fahey x reader #nina zenik #nina zenik x reader

[maudeeloise]

i just finished watching shadow and bone s2 and i feel like writing something. send requests, please!!

#kaz brekker x reader #jesper fahey x reader #nikolai lanstov x reader #mal oretsev x reader #nina zenik x reader #alina starkov x reader #the darkling x reader #aleksander morozova x reader #general kirigan x reader

[gemma-collins-ily]

Can I ask for a fic with Mal where the reader is getting bullied by some guys and storms off, and then later Mal finds out and like beats the guys up or something like that and it turns into a friends to lovers? If you can’t it’s fine :). I love your other work so I thought to request something of mal because I don’t see him getting enough attention lol. Thanks!

The Print of Him Written There

a/n - I'm sorry this took so long, and it's kind of incomplete (has an ending but not the one I originally planned). I started off writing this a while ago, and then when I came back to it, I couldn't really find my footing.

You had convinced yourself a long while ago that your life was just meant to be a tragedy. Although, in quite the opposite fashion of a novella, yours had no desirable reciprocated romance, no forbidden love or meeting up with a secret lover: it was just you.

And Mal, you supposed.

He was a very viable candidate for your tragical romance, the two of you sharing moments often that made you gaze unsurely, eyes flitting over his face and breaths coming just a little heavier, you laughing and blaming it on the cold that seemed to be permanently enveloping wherever you went, in the place of the warm arms you wished for.

It wouldn't hurt to want the arms wrapping over you to be Mal's, would it? After all, your adoration was most certainly one-sided and probably slightly pathetic. Trying to cultivate his love would be like attempting to nurture flowers whilst roaming over the world, and never really returning to that first spot for enough of a time for it not to be too fleeting.

With your luck, the flowers with their charming, curling stems would be ripped out of the earth or wither away until weeds overtook them, swallowing them down, gluttonous beasts aiming to pull up their very roots by strangling them with their own.

Even thinking of his non-existent, hypothetical love could tug up those plants, replacing them with the green creatures crouching and festering below the soil; even considering it could show the seeds of... loathing from Mal. You just wouldn't risk it. Better safe than sorry.

So, the decision made that he was very much off-limits and a completely separate branch to your life's tree than any sort of endearing endeavour. You squatted, feet scratching over the dirt and fingers drawing swirling, cinnamon-beige patterns in the gravelly sand the wind had blown in from the coast, waiting for Mal to hurry with whatever he was doing.

To further convince you of your inevitable end, a group flocked behind their leader to approach you, sat up against the wall, brick upon brick digging uncomfortably into your back.

You pressed into the wall further.

They spat insults that were studded knives, cutting through flourished leaves and spectating as they turned a crinkled auburn whilst hitting the ground. And later, the lichen of belittlement grew, ensnaring you and dragging you to the dirt; you stayed stationary for a while before deciding enough was enough, daring to stand and brush off your clothes before shouldering through the group.

"Where'd you think you're going, little bird? Didn't you know, we still have a cage just waiting with your name on it? Saints, listening to your wails of self-pity may just make you the perfect songbird."

You shook your head and only went through the motions of dodging clawed hands that would surely catch your arm if you let them. Sighing, you shoved past in a much fiercer way, no longer caring for the potential of hurt to the people behind.

After what they had said, you thought you would rather watch them burn up in flames than care even slightly about their input.

Although, reaching your chest of belongings, your hands anchored themselves to its sides, splintered wood even knowing when to hold steadfast during the storm you embodied. Blunt fingernails dug to the wood's surface, eyes stinging but firmly dry in your definite anger and humiliation of the situation.

"Woah, what's this coming from?"

You didn't turn, simply stood, still straight-backed with arms left on the chest, eyes downcast. Eyes were trained on your back, you knew, no longer biting at gaping wounds made by words: you were certain of this because it was him. Mal.

Then, you were snapping out of a reverie that you thought malleable, readily shaped around your heart, the print of him written there.

The influence of love, as it rose from your chest, the rest of your body left numb, immovable, unnecessary for as long as you could gaze at him. You saw it in the stain sealant of the wooden chest before you, in the maroon scrawled swirls spread over your maps and in the way your eyes were steadily growing red at the edges as you caught your own gaze in the mirror.

And his questioning gaze, too.

"It's nothing, Mal." Saints, the words didn't sound anything like you wanted them to - weighted as gold, seeming to be just as valuable although intentioned to sound light and throwaway.

Now swivelling on your heel, you brushed past him, grasping a map and attempting not to claw it to tatters in your hands. You walked over to your scratched glass mirror, a shard broken off in the left corner, placing it flat on the desk before sliding down the edge of a chair, legs crumpled beneath you as you forced yourself to push on.

The map was opened and curled inwards quickly, you groaning. This could not be dealt with right now.

A tentative hand spread it over the floor again, pressing on one side while you were still holding the other.

Mal was crouched before you, head quirked to the side adorably, glancing at you before the depictions of parchment valleys. He sat beside you, hefting your legs atop his own as though second nature.

"So, what is it? Actually, I mean."

How well he knew you. How much it ached that he did.

"I'm asking to leave on an expedition tomorrow."

The statement hung in the air for a moment, untouched by you both, probably because you both felt it entirely too shocking - you had barely even known what would come out of your mouth before it was spoken into the air, unraveling and unable to be reeled in.

"Why?" Whatever you had expected, it hadn't been this. This was robust, a question spoken strongly, no quiver to be detected in his tone. This was what part of you was thinking, wondering how leaving was possibly a solution. Leaving was surrender, a back down.

And yet, it was one of the only things you could think to do.

"I just-" And you had no explanation you could give to him because even serving it on a gold rimmed platter would do nothing to stop how cowardly you felt, how awful you thought you were for leaving him.

"What? Tell me! Give me one reason... One reason, and I'll let you go."

You fumbled, hearing the desperation lining his voice as he moved to gently push your legs off his lap, instead moving so that he was knee to knee with you now, staring, trying to see any answer in your eyes.

Mal wasn't as angry as he was stern, ready to hear whatever you came up with. His eyebrows were pinched together, mouth downturned as he waited for you to bare your soul to him.

"It's one thing! Why are you going? Just tell me, what can be that bad?" He began with a voice that tapered off into something more quiet, small.

You hated this. You hated what you were doing to him.

And you hated it more when you stood, brushing yourself off and walking away, but not before placing a soft kiss on his cheek. An apology. One that you felt probably fell through.

Yet, you walked. Away from your space, your home, your Mal, for how could you stay to ruin them if you were giving up beforehand.

You walked like you planned to do the next morning. And he didn't dare follow.

You had been on expedition after expedition, sent anywhere and everywhere but where Mal was. He had come across you only once, pouring over the maps for your next trip.

He hadn't said a word, and you had only looked upon him with regret, already turning to leave. However, you did not blow out your candle in its holder, rather placing it down across a corner of his map folding inwards.

You both attempted to ignore the gnawing sense of dread and déjà vu constricting your hearts and lungs.

"Well, that was the worst escape attempt in history."

Saints, his voice almost rendered you useless.

"That wasn't the attempt." You wouldn't give it the opportunity to do so again. The softness between the two of you was long ago lost, flowers replaced by brambles and thorns, love bleeding through and, eventually, draining out.

You left, then.

Tears came to your eyes, making them glassy and reddened.

Friends you once were, lovers never to be.

#mal oretsev x reader #mal oretsev imagine #mal oretsev #malyen oretsev #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone x you #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone fic

[cannibalizedyke]

🗡️malyen oretsev masterlist🗡️

key: ❤︎︎ - fluff, ☁︎︎ - angst, ★ - smut

coming soon!

#malyen oretsev x reader #malyen oretsev x you #malyen oretsev x y/n #malyen oretsev fanfiction #malyen oretsev fanfic #malyen oretsev fic #malyen oretsev #mal oretsev x reader #mal oretsev x you #mal oretsev x y/n #mal oretsev fanfiction #mal oretsev fanfic #mal oretsev fic #mal oretsev

[swanimagines]

GRISHAVERSE AO3 SERIESES

EVERYTHING FOR GRISHAVERSE

GRISHA TRILOGY

Aleksander Morozova/The Darkling

Alina Starkov

Mal Oretsev

Genya Safin

Nikolai Lantsov

Zoya Nazyalensky (coming)

THE CROWS

Kaz Brekker

Inej Ghafa

Jesper Fahey

Wylan Van Eck/Wylan Hendriks

Nina Zenik

Matthias Helvar

---

(Any of the other characters don't have any requests written nor pending as for now, so I'm unable to have serieses for them as AO3 requires you to have at least one oneshot written to be able to add it to a series, and I can't promise serieses for characters who don't have requests pending/I have no ideas of my own for them)

For anyone who's concerned, THESE ARE NOT ONESHOT COLLECTIONS, they are made using AO3's "series" feature.

If you want to be informed about new fics for Grishaverse or its individual characters, create an AO3 account and subscribe or bookmark any of those serieses listed above. There are buttons at the top right corner for those, or on top on mobile. I do not do Tumblr taglists anymore.

Subscribe button highlighted:

#aleksander morozova #aleksander morozova x reader #the darkling #the darkling x reader #alina starkov #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lanstov x reader #alina starkov x reader #mal oretsev #kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #mal oretsev x reader #inej ghafa #inej ghafa x reader #jesper fahey #jesper fahey x reader #wylan van eck #wylan van eck x reader #nina zenik #nina zenik x reader #matthias helvar x reader

[stray-kaz]

I am going to write for Mal. Shadow and Bone has inspired me. He is looking very, very nice.

#liss writes #mal oretsev #mal oretsev x reader

[swhatever]

grishaverse masterlist

━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━

━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━

Alina Starkov

‘’golden girl.’’  ☾

Malyen Oretsev

Nothing yet…

Nikolai Lantsov

Nothing yet…

Inej Ghafa

Nothing yet…

Nina Zenik

Nothing yet…

#masterlist #fluff #angst #smut #alina starkov x reader #mal oretsev x reader #nikolai lantsov x reader #inej ghafa x reader #nina zenik x reader #moony #moony writes

[unrequitedloveletter]

OKAY!! We are a day away from autumn, the fall menus have kicked in at most establishments, and I love the fall season so I was like "I want to have an event around it," and that's what this is!

Requests for this event will have the largest window for acceptance I've had in a long ass time--they'll be open until November 7th and requests in the general sense will be accepted until the 10th. Any requests sent after that weekend will either be declined or deleted and I'll reblog this post to remind people when it closes

As is the usual per these events, my requests are open for the following characters: Genya, Alina, Mal, Zoya, Nikolai and David from the original Grisha trilogy, Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, and Matthias from Six of Crows, and Aaron Warner and Kenji Kishimoto from the Shatter Me series

when dividin' up the universe you could have mine- this is a more musically inclined prompt! What I mean by that is this: give me a character, a gender pref for the reader (gn, fem, masc) and a song! I think of this prompt and I think of slow dancing but you don't have to send in a slow song if you're thinking of like, a group dance type thing in a city square! Send in a character, a gender pref and the song of your choice and I will write a 1-3k word fic involving the characters dancing while the song is playing in the background.

I think I might have fallen in love- realization fics! Fics with this prompt can be the realization of anything--a characters imminent death, the moment wherein someone realizes they've been betrayed, or they can be super fluffy and detail the moment a character realizes they're in love, the moment where they realize they can see a future with the reader--perhaps one that entails settling down or one that involves leaving the past behind--, the moment where they realize that they want to marry them! Anything goes with this prompt, and I'll write 1-5k words using it!

And you've got your demons and darlin', they all look like me- for this prompt, think bittersweet! Good relationships that ended due to some unforseen circumstance and lead to a very nostalgic and bittersweet reunion. Think the acknowledgement of a past relationship and the bittersweet tug of the heart that comes with looking back at shared memories. This is basically the bittersweet, nostalgic angst prompt, and I encourage that you do with that what you will.

my heart is yours- this is the general fluff prompt! I am looking for spooky fluff/fluff set in autumn that just carries with it the cozy feeling that picks up as autumn starts and the weather cools down. I will accept anything for this including prompts from the prompt lists which are located on my pinned post! Anything that is remotely fluffy goes here lol

We spent a week in the cold- this is collages! Give me a character and a fall themed activity, and I'll make a collage/moodboard out of it!

You must've been looking for me- ships! Give me your fandom pref, gender pref, and a couple of fall themed dates you'd like to go on/have gone on. I'll use that to ship you with a character and write a blurb!

#genya safin #alina starkov #mal oretsev #zoya nazyalensky #nikolai lantsov #david kostyk #genya safin x reader #alina starkov x reader #mal oretsev x reader #zoya nazyalensky x reader #nikolai lantsov x reader #david kostyk x reader #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #nina zenik #matthias helvar #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #kaz brekker x reader #inej ghafa x reader #nina zenik x reader #matthias helvar x reader #wylan van eck x reader #jesper fahey x reader #aaron warner #aaron warner x reader #kenji kishimoto #kenji kishimoto x reader #six of crows #shadow and bone